ANYONE who wants one of the dizzying array of jobs in president-elect Barack Obama's administration had better be ready to lay bare their most closely-guarded secrets.
Applicants for government posts must respond to an exhaustive seven-page questionnaire probing deep into hidden corners of their personal and professional lives as well as those of their spouses and grown children.
What may be the most detailed burrowing ever into the background of potential government employees appears to be a bid by Obama's team to avoid personnel scandals that have plagued other presidential transitions.
Aides say the questionnaire, first reported by The New York Times, is in keeping with the president-elect's campaign promise to purge Washington of seamy influence peddling.
Transgressions like tax problems, criminal convictions, business snafus or membership in clubs which bar members due to race or gender could be a problem for potential nominees, if the questionnaire is to be believed.
Internet indiscretions may also bar someone from one of the thousands of jobs in the federal government turning over with the new administration.
"If you have ever sent an electronic communication, including but, not limited to an email, text message or instant message that could suggest a conflict of interest or be a possible source of embarrassment to you, your family, or the president-elect if it were made public, please describe."
Potential applicants are also asked to detail every speech, newspaper column or blog post they have written and must even provide the URL of any web sites in which they feature including Facebook or MySpace.
They must also list every cohabitant for the last 10 years and say whether they have ever owned a gun. They must also testify that any domestic helpers they have employed were eligible to work.AFP
Applicants for government posts must respond to an exhaustive seven-page questionnaire probing deep into hidden corners of their personal and professional lives as well as those of their spouses and grown children.
What may be the most detailed burrowing ever into the background of potential government employees appears to be a bid by Obama's team to avoid personnel scandals that have plagued other presidential transitions.
Aides say the questionnaire, first reported by The New York Times, is in keeping with the president-elect's campaign promise to purge Washington of seamy influence peddling.
Transgressions like tax problems, criminal convictions, business snafus or membership in clubs which bar members due to race or gender could be a problem for potential nominees, if the questionnaire is to be believed.
Internet indiscretions may also bar someone from one of the thousands of jobs in the federal government turning over with the new administration.
"If you have ever sent an electronic communication, including but, not limited to an email, text message or instant message that could suggest a conflict of interest or be a possible source of embarrassment to you, your family, or the president-elect if it were made public, please describe."
Potential applicants are also asked to detail every speech, newspaper column or blog post they have written and must even provide the URL of any web sites in which they feature including Facebook or MySpace.
They must also list every cohabitant for the last 10 years and say whether they have ever owned a gun. They must also testify that any domestic helpers they have employed were eligible to work.AFP
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